STARS Rated

Miami holds a Silver sustainability rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (AASHE STARS). The report, which documents sustainability progress across all higher education activities (education and research; planning, administration, engagement; and operations) was first submitted in March 2013, and will be updated in March 2016.

PFD and Sustainability

Waste Management. The Physical Facility Department’s involvement in sustainability unofficially started in 1989 with the creation of Miami’s Recycling Program. Campus contests led to the launch of the Recyclemania Competition in 2001. Working with other departments across campus, PFD continues to advance waste diversion, starting food scrap composting and single stream recycling in 2012.

Energy Management. PFD has had a similar long involvement in energy conservation. Exceeding the state’s 10 year reduction goal of 20% per square foot in 2014, Miami’s campuses demonstrated a reduction of nearly 22%. In terms of energy consumption, the total decreased, even while square footage increased over 25% during the period.

Administration. PFD added the position of Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation to its administrative team in 2011 to make further advancement with Miami’s Sustainability Commitments and Goals and to create a Sustainability Office. The Sustainability Office supports an active student organization, called the Green Team, and it provides practitioner experience to enhance related academic studies for graduate and undergraduate students.